Compound scaling-ladder.



PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

W. P. SAMPSON. GOMPOUND SCALING LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26.1905.

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I UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

WIN SLOW MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF MASSAOHUSET' `S.

COMPOUND SCALING-LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1Patented May 8, 1906.

Application filed July 26,1905. Serial No. 271,277.

To @ZZ whom it may concern,-

Be it known that I, WINsLow F. SAMPsoN, of Medford, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Compound Scaling-Iiadders, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to ladders of that type known as scaling-ladders7and which are chiefly employed by firemen to enable them to ascend fromthe ground outside of a building by engaging the hook usually carried bysuch ladders with the sill or sills of the windows of a building.

In Letters Patent No. 769,237, granted to me September 6, 1904, I haveshown, described, and claimed a scaling-ladder comprising twoladder-sections having their side rails slidingly connected, thesections being side by side and each section having means for engaging awindow-sill.

My present invention relates to this same type of scaling-ladder, whichis so constructed that a fireman can alternately pass from one sectionto another, while the section from which he stepped may be elevated byanother fireman on the ground.

The object of my present invention is to provide an elastic orl yieldingconnection between the two members or sections of the compound ladder,so that there will be a normal tendency to hold the two sections in thesame plane, from which plane either section can be swung.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compound ladder of thistype having interchangeable hooks to adapt the ladders for use inconnection with buildings having sills or cornices of varying width.

A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of thistype with means whereby neither section can accidentally catch upon soas to be retarded by any projecting portion of a building. Incidentally,the use of the ladder cannot deface the buildr To these ends theinvention consists in the construction and combination of partssubstantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation ofan apparatus embodying my present invention in use. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation, enlarged, of the coupling. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of thecompound ladder, the two sections or ladders being at the same heightand partially broken out to reduce the length of the figure. Fig. 4 is afront elevation of the apparatus in the relative positions shown in Fig.3.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in allthe views.

The two sections or members of the com- `pound ladder are represented ata and l). Each section is composed of the usual side rails 10 and rungsor rounds 11. The lower end of each side rail 10 is providedl with apivoted roller 127 which serves as an antifriction means that may engagethe facing of a building when the sections are being raised or loweredor suspended from a window-sill. Said rollers ride freely against theface of the building or over projections therefrom when the sections arebeing moved upward or downward. In order to keep the upper portion ofeach section away from contact with the face or sills of a building,said`upper portions are provided with shoes 13, which are shown ascomposed of metal strips bowed and having their ends mounted upon thetwo upper rungs of each section.

One of the side rails 10 of each section has secured on opposite facesof its upper end two suspension-plates 14, which are -spaced apart, asshown, to form recesses within which a sheave is mounted,l saidsuspensionplates forming extensions of the side rails to which they areattached. A brace 16 connects the upper ends of said suspensionplateswith the outer side rail of each member. The suspension-plates 14 arealso spaced apart at their upper ends, each pair of suspension-platesforming a recess or socket to receive the shank 17 ofthe suspensionhook18. Said shank is formed witha vertical slot or recess 19 in its lowerend, a guide pin or rivet 20 connecting the suspensionplates enteringsaid slot or recess 19. A bolt 21, carried by the upper end of a spring22, the lower end of which is secured at 23 to one of thesuspension-plates, is adapted to engage a suitable hole in the shank 17of the hook. By springing out the bolt 21 the hook 18 may be removed andanother one having a different shaipe of the sill-engaging portion maybe place in the space or recess between the upper ends of thesuspensionplates, the shank being pushed downward IOO until thespring-bolt 21 sna s into the hole that is formed in the shank o saidhook. At

the same time the slot or recess 19 in ther lower end of the shank 17rides down over the guide-pin 20, whereby the shank is steadied and thesuspension-hook is practically asV iirm a portion ofthe apparatus asthough it were integral with the suspension-plates.

i The coupling which connects the two ladder-sections comprises twoplates 24, the lower end of one of said plates being formed with a rigidhub 25 and the lower end of the other plate being pivotally connectedwith said hub. The upper end of each plate 24 is widened or offset, asshown, one of said widened portions or arms being formed with a slotcurved to conform with radii from the pivot-hub 25 as a center. Theupper portion of the other plate 24 is provided with a pin which isguided in the curved slot, said pin comprising a screw 27, passingthrough said slot and fitting a screw-thread 1n the upper end of saidother member and extending through it and provided with a set-nut28. Thesaid curved slot is indicated at 29. This in and slot serve to limit therelative oscilatory movements of the two plates 24 of the coupling. YProjecting outward from thelplates 24 are ears 30, which embrace theadjacent side rails of the two members c and b, said ears being soformed, of course, that the rungs 11 of the ladders may pass freely.Saidy ears form the guideways through which a part of eachladder-section may slide relatively to the coupling and the othersection. A straight spring 31, rigidly connected with the hub 25, eX-tends upward and passes through an eye 32,

vwhich is connected with the plate 24 opposite the plate to which thehub 25 is rigidly connected. Said spring therefore constitutes aresilient connection which has a tendency to hold the twoladder-sections side by side and within the same plane; but theconnection is a yielding one owing to the resilience of the spring, sothat one section may move relativelyto the other, as indicated in y Fig.2.

Suitable ropes or chains .33 are arranged similarly to those in mypatent above referred to. Said ropes or chains are attached at theirends to terminal eyes 34 at the lower ends of the sections and on theinner side thereof and then pass over the sheaves 15 and down throughguide-eyes 35, projecting from the front edges of the plates of thecoupling, the ropes crossing each other, however, so that pulling uponthe rope passing over the sheave of one section will elevate the othersection substantially in the manner described in my said patent.

' Having now described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Ascaling-ladder comprising two laddersections side by side 'and' having?a pivoted 65 connection and a resilient connection to hold said sectionsnormally in the same plane but to permit them to yield slightly.

2. A scaling-ladder comprisin two laddersections, and a coupling thereor, the said sections being slidably connected with said coupling andsaid coupling comprising two plates pivoted to ether and having a springfor normally holding the sections in the same lane. A p 3. Ascaling-ladder comprising two laddersections and a coupling membertherefor, the

ladder-sections being side by side and slidingly connected with thecoupling, said c oupling comprising two plates, one of which has a rigidhub at its lower end and the other being pivotally connected v with saidhub and having an eye at its upper end, a spring rigidly connected withsaid hub and extending through said eye, and means for limiting theoscillatory movement of one plate relatively to the other.

4. A scaling-ladder comprising two laddersections having their siderails slidingly con- 1 nected together, the sections being side by side,one side rail of each section having an extension and a suspension-hookremovably connected with said extension.

5. A scaling-ladder comprising two laddersectionshaving their side railsslidingly connected together, the sections beingside by side, one siderail of each section having an extension formed as a socket, and asuspension-hook having a shank removably inserted in said socket, thelatter having means for engaging the hook-shank.

6.' A scaling-ladder comprising two laddersections having their siderails slidingly con'- nected together, the sections being side by sideand each section having means for engaging a window-sill, means forhoisting one section relatively to the other, and rollers carried by thesaidsections, to bear on the wall of the building and reduce frictionalresistance to the upward movement of the sections.

7. A scaling-ladder comprisin two ladder-` sections having their siderails s idingly connected together, the sections being side by side andeach section having means for engaging a window-sill, means for hoistingone section relatively to the other, rollers carried by the lower endsof said sections, and shoes IOO IIO

projecting from the upper portions of said sections, said rollers andshoes facilitating the upward movement of the sections.

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WINSLOW F. SAMPSON.

Witnesses:

A. W. HARRISON, ARTHUR H. BROWN.

